- According to a research by Nokia, the global leader in mobile broadband technology and solutions, Pakistan presents huge growth opportunity for telecom infrastructure and solution providers given the three major push factors - a large population of 179.2 million, increasing use of mobile services by its people and the relatively early phase of its 3G rollouts. Although Pakistan was ranked 25th out of 26 countries in the developing markets, based on the 'Connectivity Scorecard' which measures useful connectivity, Pakistan is ready for the next big growth in its 3G and data networks, in line with the growth in the use of data worldwide and the increasing appetite for online content among its people.
The research results, which were shared recently at Nokia’s “Connected Pakistan – 3G, 4G Perspectives” conference in Islamabad also indicate that infrastructure is specifically the most critical area in pushing Pakistan's telecommunications sector forward, especially its nationwide 3G deployments. In its statement, Nokia cites figures from Ovum, a market research company which says that 3G subscriptions in Pakistan will overtake 2G subscriptions by 2019, and there will be 103.4 million 3G subscriptions in Pakistan by then, making up about 58% of the mobile market. Ovum also forecasts that the adoption of 4G will be more modest than for 3G for the foreseeable future, with the number of LTE subscriptions in Pakistan reaching about 6.6 million by the end of 2019.
“The study shows mobile broadband users in Pakistan increasingly demand high-speed mobile broadband and significantly improved network coverage across the country. As the world’s specialist in mobile broadband, we are committed to providing operators in Pakistan with our advanced 3G and 4G technologies, and comprehensive services to build and run the networks cost efficiently.”
- Danny Atme, General Manager, Nokia Networks, Pakistan
“Although Pakistan is a late-comer to mobile broadband, the rollout of 3G services that is now underway in the country following the recent award of new licenses, combined with the increasing affordability of 3G-enabled devices as well as demand for Internet access and other data services, means that there is likely to be a substantial shift in Pakistan’s mobile market from 2G to 3G over the coming few years.”
- Matthew Reed, Practice Leader Middle East and Africa, Ovum
“The Nokia conference on "Connected Pakistan - 3G, 4G Perspectives" has brought out excellent insights from various eco-system players on how to achieve further mobile broadband penetration here. The government is committed to enabling the operators to take the mobile broadband subscription base to a new high. Together with players such as Nokia and its advanced 3G and 4G mobile broadband technologies, we are confident that Pakistan will be able to provide high quality mobile broadband services on a par with leading services around the world."
- Dr. Syed Ismail Shah, Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)
